Crossroad.

Oh how I love it when it's New Year!

It's exciting to think about what can happen this coming 365 days.

My friends, let me share to you two phrases of inspiration

that struck me as I was reflecting for the coming year.

We are approaching another crossroad in our lives -- a new year.

Stop. Look. Listen.

Stop

Take time to reflect. To think about the future.

Stop complaining. It's no use.

Stop the timidity.
Stop being in the middle. Have a cause.
Stop with the destructive habits. It will get you nowhere.
Stop being a mess.

You may have hundreds of reasons why, but still its a mess.

Stop the unnecessary anxiety. This year is yours.

Look

Look back and learn.

Look forward and leave the shit behind.

Look for ways for improvement.

You would be more of a person this year.
Look more into your blessings.
If you would give attention to them, you would be happy.
Look more into the eyes of your loved one.

Look up. Think. Pray. Dream.

Listen

Listen to God who gives direction.

Listen to the changing times.

Listen to your parents and everything will be well.

Listen to a friend who needs help.

Listen to the belittled people.

Listen to your body, try not to abuse it.

Listen to your heart more often.

Go. Grow. Glow.

Go

Go where you want to go.

A life full of regrets is a tragedy.

Go to wise people and seek advice.
Go out of your comfort zone once in a while.
Go and find a solution to your porblem.
Go out and make new friends.

Go for a vacation and see the beauty of God's creation.

Go tripping with family and friends.

Go for a healthy body. Exercise. Get into sports..

Grow

Have a sense of growth.

Expand your territories.

Learn new skills.

Find a mentor.

Develop your passions.

Get better than the year before.

Challenge yourself.

Achieve.

Claim it.

Glow

Be at peace.

Do your best at school or work.

Gagawin mo na lang, galingan at gandahan mo na.

If today, you are picking up the grapes,
tomorrow you will be the drinking wine.

Have faith. And you will move mountains.

Enjoy life. It's too short to grumble about it.

Take it easy. Find grace under pressure.

Be a light to other people's darkness.

Invite someone to Church.

And make them feel 'pwede pala mabuhay ng ganito.'

Its simple. You've heard these before.

But all of us needs to be reminded sometimes right?

This year is a fresh start. Go on and truly live.

Thank you Lord for your faithfulness in 2008.
And I thank you for assuring me for 2009.

Didoy

'Roadtrip'

This Christmas, Mayi and I made a radical decision.
Instead of giving gifts to our dear loved ones,
we reserved our simple treasures
and planned to give it to the poor in the streets.
We felt the Lord leading us to do this, so we obeyed.
We initially planned to clothe the poor since we wanted to do
something new, a gift that would last longer than a meal.
So we ordered 100+ customly printed shirts
with our message for our dear bros and sis in the streets:
"Ikaw at ako, mahal ng Diyos".

We knew that the Lord blessed our initiative because when people
learned about this, donations started pouring in.
So instead of just clothing the poor, we were able to feed them.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who shared
what they had, their time and treasure,
to make this activity a success.
The Lord will surely give you back more than you gave.

On Christmas Eve we drove around
Makati and Manila streets on a 'Roadtrip'.
With Mayi and I are our dear friends Jem and Christine
who volunteered to help us in the gift-giving.
Our rally point was in Sanctuario de San Antonio at 8am.
We started with a prayer of thanksgiving
for the overflowing blessings
that gave us the grace to give.
When the backdoor of the Revo was opened,
we were amused to see that there were a lot of people
running from several directions already expecting us.
It was funny because even some average passersby
also lined up for the goodies.
"Just give it all," I said to myself.

Afterwards, we drove through the following areas:
Ayala Ave., Kamagong Area, Osmeña Highway, Quirino Ave.,
Nagtahan, UST Area, Quiapo, Lawton, Roxas Blvd.,
CCP Area, Buendia Ave.

At the end of the trip, sweaty, smelly and tired,
we treated ourselves to lunch in Tokyo Tokyo.
Nagutom din, kaya rice all you can. Haha.

We met a lot of our brothers and sisters in the streets.
And we felt that the Lord was happily with us.
We experienced again a miracle,the gifts were multipied.
There was lot more to give than we estimated.
Though our hands were giving, our hearts were full.
I loved the roadtrip because it proved
that a random act of kindness from a stranger is possible.
It was a priceless gift to see them with their genuine smiles.

By the way, we also gave to the people who go unnoticed
like the security guards, the Pulis Oysters who clean up our roads,
and the 'takatak' boys (vendors who do business near stoplights).

During the trip, there were moments of silence in the van
because we were all touched with what was going on.
We all went home to our families to spend the rest of the day.
With the fullness of heart after the roadtrip,
I must say I was able to sincerely feel the joy of giving.
That it's really better to give than to receive.
In fact, once you fully give, you won't think of receiving anymore.
At the end of the day,
I presented this simple offering as a welcoming gift
to the only one whom we need to receive in life, our dear Jesus.

Oh, it was a perfect day.
Thank you Lord.

-Didoy

My Christmas List

I've been struggling with silence for the past two weeks.
Maybe it's comes with the holiday season.
I observed that people are just laid back during this time of the year.
I myself have been busy having fun,
and I've not been taking down notes.
Or maybe I'm just lazy enough to write. Haha.
My fingers lost fire because the weather's cold and
it's so inviting just to snooze around.
Anyway it's Christmas break already!
Haha. Yahoo!

Here I am, writing again because I feel the need to.
I'm sharing to you my Christmas break to-do list.
Why did I bother to post it?
Because laying it down means to me
that I bravely give you my word to fulfill the list.
This is new to me,
I've never been this bold to broadcast my plans ahead.
But this is my way of helping myself. Haha.
It's my challenge to self-discipline actually.
In my list, some are already checked out,
and I plan to finish the list
before coming back to school on Jan. 5.
In the list, you'll find some serious stuff, and some silly stuff as well.
I hope you might find some meaning into my scribbles.


Things to do on Christmas break 2008:

Everyday:
-Wake up early.
-Read the bible.
-Exercise.
-Have breakfast with Mom.
-Write.
-Dream.
-Relax.
-Talk with someone.
-Read.

In my quiet time:
-Rest and reflect in His presence.
-Plan for the coming year. Make resolutions.
-Organize the written plans for YLSS 28.

Family:
-Stay at home most of the time.
-Fetch Ate Tatee on Dec. 24, 4:05am, Cebu Pac flight from Singapore.
-Play Dota with Gerard.
-Read with Iday.
-Play with Cheenoe.
-Yes to any family activity.

With Mayi:
-Gift giving to the streets. (will blog on this after the activity)
-Christmas date.
-Watch a movie.
-Shopping.
-Coffee date.

Cell group:
-Meet. If unavailable, have a schedule for next meeting.
-Direction from Jan
-Assign prayer leader

Planned and confirmed Parties:
-Subsction C2 KTV party
-Carlof and Jan White party
-BLDYouth's Kalikimaka Luau
-FCH's Stockholder's Party
Still waiting for confirmations for other reunions.

Play and practice:
-Piano
-Guitar
-Basketball with Kuya Aboy and Seton friends

Read:
-Prayer of Jabez (3rd time)
-Deliverance from Evil Spirits
(found this interesting old book in our mini-library at home)
-New book (Still undecided)

Update:
-Blog
-Friendster

Clean and Fix:
-My study table
-Closet
-Piano tuning at home

Watch:
-Downloaded movies (5)
-Love Actually
-Finally finish House Season 4

I would've wanted to write more.
But I'd like to keep it attainable given the time I have.
Also, I choose to open myself to the surprises from the Lord.
I'm sure there is. God loves surprises.

Friends, do you want to have a meaningful time this holiday season?
Make plans. Write it down. And do it.
In life, nothing beats a dreamer who follows his dreams.
Aside from His presence in our lives,
God has given us a precious gift --- Time.
Spend it wisely, because most are at poverty on this nowadays.
Have a quiet time alone with God. Be thankful.
Be with your family.
Be with the people who give meaning to your life.
Give back all the blessings you received during the year.
Prepare for the coming year.
Spend time to improve yourself.
Revisit your forgotten talents, add fire to your passions.
There are a lot of things that can add meaning to your Christmas season.
Just remember to have a great time in doing it all.

Wishing you a wonderful and a meaningful Christmas,
-Didoy

The Iloilo Experience

Overwhelmed.

It's the closest word I could think of

to describe how we felt when we were in Iloilo.

Zach's Tree flew there last Saturday afternoon.

We were warmly received in the airport by the organizers

bringing along some snacks for us on the way.

We went straight to a hotel prepared for us! Wow.

Then we proceeded to St. Paul's Iloilo for the Marian Festival.

After setup, the program began. First was a chorale contest.

And we were asked to be judges! Haha.

Then we were up for the Worship Concert.

It was a worship experience I would never forget.

Afterwards were the awarding and picture taking. Hahaha.

After the event, they treated us out for dinner and drinks.

Then we were back in the airport for the earliest flight back to Manila.

I realized that you cannot really outgive the Lord.

When you give, it will come back to you like an overflowing river.

He really surprises you beyond your expectations.
I felt that God was treating us with joy for saying yes to his call.

And you know what, because of the experience,

it moves me to give more.

Because I am blessed, I will bless the world.

To St. Paul's Iloilo, thank you for the honor of having us there.
Thank you for the warm reception, and the love you expressed to us.
You keep us inspired in our craft. God bless all of you!
Special thanks to Dexter, Ms. Kaye, Ms. Con, and Hansel
for touring us around after the concert. =)

We pray Lord that you would bless your Zach's Tree,
enlarge our territory, that you hand would be with us,
and you would keep us away from evil.
Grant our request in Jesus name, Amen.

Mike, Mico, Arya, Mayi namiss namin kayo.
But I'm sure there would be more of these next time.
Sana ma-complete na tayo.

Friends, I spared you a long article about the experience. Haha.
Because this time, I want you to see the details in pictures!
Yup, I want you to check out our St. Paul's Iloilo experience
in Carlof's multiply site. Feel free to comment. Have fun!

http://pajengjeng.multiply.com/photos/album/386/Zachs_Tree_Minus_Three_in_Ilolilo_12062008

*******

By the way, I really had a great long weekend!
Because all those I listed in my previous entry, was done.
It's so fulfilling!
Thank you Lord for being faithful to complete my long weekend.

Didoy

My Long Weekend

I'm writing this entry before I go to sleep after
10 long hours of studying for a Pharmacology long exam tomorrow.
Yup. Ten grinding hours at Starbucks to study drugs.
And my class hours for tomorrow is 7am-6pm.
*blink* *blink*
No, I'm not complaining.
Two years into med school,
I've long accepted the fact that this is my life.
BUT...
I've also learned the wisdom that there is more into this life.
Not just to make it through Medicine and be a great doctor someday,
but also trying to be more as a person,
living the fullness of life,
and giving justice to my existence in this world.
So during weekends, I dedicate my time to the things
that add more meaning into my life.

As I go to sleep tonight, I'm dreaming of the long weekend ahead.
Oh it's gonna be a great time!

Saturday:
I'll fly to St. Paul's Iloilo to be part of an annual vigil
in celebration of the feast of the Immaculate Conception.
I'm so blessed to be with my dear friends
Kerygma preacher George Gabriel, Carlo Fernandez,
and Pier Asuncion as we lead the whole student body
into a worship concert.
And to be able to jam with my gifted friends, doubles the thrill.
We are so keyed up about it!
It's an honor for us to be invited there, ready with our passions to
give praise to the Lord and be His ministers through music.
Yahoo!

Sunday:
We'll be back to Manila by the earliest flight.
And we will go straight to The Feast in Valle Verde Country Club.
It's a weekly event wherein people gather to worship,
learn from a preacher, and celebrate the Eucharist together.
I consider this as my 'going up a hill to pray'.
I learned this kind of attitude from Jesus.
After performing the miracle of feeding the five thousand men,
"he sent the people away and went up a hill by himself to pray".
(Matthew 14:23)
Humbling isn't it?
Jesus himself, the God that he is, set aside everything just to pray.
He made time to go up the hill to be refreshed
after ministering to His people.
If you go on with reading the bible passage,
you would find that when the evening came,
Jesus performed a miracle again. This time he walked on water.
Every Sunday is my time for that 'hill experience'.
I get refreshed, revived, and helps me offer to the Lord
all that I've been through during the week that has passed.
Friends, I invite you to go up the hill once in a while.
It keeps you from burning out because of life's work,
and it keeps your head from swelling up because of life's successes.

In the afternoon, I'm coming home.
Our family spends Sunday afternoons to visit Papa in the cemetery.
Since Papa passed away,
we made it a point to be together during this time.
It's like Tolkien's Fellowship of the Ring;
all the members of the family, from all our busyness in life,
becomes reunited with a common purpose:
to be together and just have fun.
We pray, have a picnic, and enjoy each other
with kwento and kulitan.

In the evening, my Kuya Aboy and I
bond with our high school friends for a basketball game.
We are currently training for an upcoming basketball league
organized by the alumni of our beloved alma mater.
When we were younger, my Kuya and I are die hard sports buffs.
We were in the varsity teams of volleyball and basketball.
And when we face each other during the intramurals,
we would be really slugging it out. Well, that's another story. Haha.
Up to now, we are still keeping up with sports despite our schedules.
And oh, one more reason why we are still hanging on to basketball.
We are gaining weight. Hahaha.

Monday:
Thank you Lord for this extra day off!
Definitely I'll be getting some extra sleep. Yehey!
I'd be able to dine with my family on a weekday.
I'll get to play the piano and maybe write a new song.
I'll get to play with Cheeno, our cuddly baby dog.
I'll get to watch TV and DVD's!
It's funny when I get teased by my friends outside Med school
because I'd be such a loser into their jokes
especially when it's about TV.
Oh well, I don't care. Haha.
The best thing about an extra day is that
I get to hang around the house and just be there.
It opens an opportunity for anything that I'd be with my family.
I'll just be relishing the time that I'm home.

***
My friends, the keyword is BALANCE.
Life is like God's blank music sheet.
He's given us the gift to choose what kind of music to fill it with.
What we compose is what we would be singing and dancing with.
Choose to fill your life with not just one kind of music,
but with melodious masterpieces that resound with love and purpose.
Because as we stand at the gates of heaven when mortal life ends,
the Lord will not ask us on how successful we are,
nor on how much we have done for Him;
but on how much we have joyfully sung our hearts out
and found meaning into His gift of life.

Have an exciting time making music!

Didoy


P.S.
Check out the link to know what I referred to as The Feast.
http://preacherinbluejeans.com/channels/3/the-feast

When God Awakens A Miracle

I felt like I was in prep school awaiting for his field trip day.
Then the weekend came.

*Kerygma Conference 2008.
November 29-30 in Philippine Sports Arena (Ultra).

The biggest Catholic learning event every year.
It's my first time to be a delegate.
And I was awakened.

During the entire weekend, miracles happened all thoughout.
I saw the lame walking, the deaf hearing, the blind seeing. Literally.
There were prophecies of freedom from sickness, debt, and addictions.
The worships were awesome!
You can feel the angels worshipping with us.
There were 6000+ people, young and old,
praying in tongues all at the same time.
It was very powerful!
And the soulfood was overflowing from the comical preachers.
The event was like a feast that God prepared,
and we were deeply satisfied.
I felt first hand how God works miracles.
Let me share to you my cherished miracles of the weekend...


1st Miracle: My family were delegates too.
This is the biggest blessing.
It was unusually easy for me to convince them to come to the KCon.
When I'd invite them to events,
they would normally give me reasons like
the place is too far, it's magastos, or they have appointments already.
But as for this event, they were different.
So I was not surprised when we felt the evil one at work double-time
to prevent our family to be together there.
Early in the morning last Saturday,
they travelled from Las Piñas to Ultra for almost 3 hours
when it would normally take them only an hour max.
I left my dorm early so I could reserve seats for them,
but I got harried because of their lateness for more than an hour.
I learned that apparently, there was an unusual road block in EDSA.
And they had to stop midway in their travel
because the van almost overheated.
I'm sure they got harassed as well. But still they went.
So when they finally arrived,
there was no nagging, no blaming whatsoever.
A miracle in itself. Haha.
I just thanked the Lord they still came through.
This paved way for us to receive what the Lord had in store for us.


2nd Miracle: Healing for the family
Since my dad passed away three months ago,
we as a family really had to be strong for one another.
We unconsciously kept our feelings to ourselves
just to be strong especially for Mama.
But in the weekend, we were able to cry our hearts out,
express our love for each other through hugs and kisses,
and let ourselves be healed by the presence of the Lord.
And we were able to worship the Lord,
singing songs and raising our hands as a family again.
Mama and my youngest brother even had a vision of Papa
telling us to hold on to each other,
and that we are the greatest children.
We felt whole again.
And we experienced God awakening us
from a deep slumber of mourning.


3rd Miracle: Freedom from Impurity
This one is very personal for me.
I am recovering from an an addiction for the longest time
and I am really having a hard time
especially when the temptation is too hard to resist.
It came to a point in my life when I even asked myself:
What's the sense in this? I'd fall into sin again.
But the Lord has His perfect timing.
When I'd start to be callous again,
He runs to his prodigal son and hugs me tight,
celebrating and rejoicing because his son has come back to Him.
During the weekend, I was moved to kneel down and offer to the Lord
all the impurities in my life, my addictions, my fears, my desires.
This time my tears felt like they were blood,
and Jesus was crying with me.
I was led into a prayer of healing and commitment to purity.
Finally, I was set free.

***
These are just some of the miracles I personally experienced
during the Kerygma Conference.
All who went there experienced their own miracles in their lives too.
But I'm sure everybody would agree that the greatest blessing
is knowing that we could be the miracle
to each other and to the world.
Why? Because the Lord has empowered all of us to be so.
There's so much we can do!
Want to experience a miracle? BE THE MIRACLE!

My friends, I'm sharing this in my blog because
this is my loving way to bless you.
If you feel blessed, I invite you to pass it on.
Do a loving act to someone.
In our own simple ways, we can bless the world, one person at a time.

See you in Kerygma Conference 2009 at the Araneta Coliseum!

Didoy

*Kerygma (Greek: κήρυγμα, kérugma, pronounced "kay-roog-ma")
is the Greek word used in the New Testament for preaching
(see Luke 4:18-19, Romans 10:14, Matthew 3:1).
It is related to the Greek verb κηρύσσω (kērússō), to cry or proclaim as a herald,
and means proclamation, announcement, or preaching.
--Wikipedia

Breathe.

I'm tired.

This is very unusual for me.
Not that I don't get tired.
I do just like everybody.
But what makes the difference now is how I'm responding to it.
It seems that I've stretched myself too thin
that I begin to break.

Physically, I've got a cold that won't go away.
And my allergies are unbelievably not in control.
And yes, I'm gaining weight. Ouch.
Doc's advice: watch the diet and make time for exercise.
Boom.

Mentally, I'm thinking too much.
And as usual, the tons of information I have to
digest and absorb in med school.
Sometimes I wish there is a usb port in our brains.
Then just copy all the needed information in an instant.
But I have to face it.
God created us to enjoy the journey, not just the destination.

Emotionally, I'm cluttered.
Not just with my own issues,
but helping others with theirs.
Can't turn down a friend right?
Wrong.
Sometimes you let them learn by themselves.
Let them be responsible.
Maybe that's what He wants me to do now.
I can't give what I don't have at the moment.
Have to remove the speck of dust in my eye first
before I can begin to help others with their log.

Socially, I'm just a bit affected with the drama here
with my friends in med school.
But I know it's part of the process.
First phase:
The group gets connected and enjoy each other.
Second phase:
Get to know each other more comfortably without the masks,
and sometimes you unintentionally hurt each other.
Third phase:
The group solidifies and takes the friendship in life-long proportions.

The goal is to get through the second phase
as fast and as completely as possible.
Done with the hurts, no more strings attached
while learning wisdom side by side.

Spiritually, I'm still optimistic as always.
I'm just in a plateau after a steep slope of growth in undertakings.
Now I'm more conscious of the cliche
'slowly but surely'.
And oh, I forgot to bring my Bible back to the dorm.
I missed it because of the razzle and dazzle of the morning rush.
Tsk. I'm unarmed now.
Good thing for emailed readings for the day.
But still it's uncomfortable without my Bible by my side.
Good thing my bro could bring my bible here tomorrow.

Inhale deeply.
Exhale slowly.
Whew. Good thing for this breathing space.
We all go through this don't we?
And I believe this is helpful at some point in our human voyage.
It feels good to embrace it.


Didoy